A withered hand is healed
We read in Luke 6:6,“And it came to pass on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered.”
In Luke 6:10, we read, “And he looked round about on them all, and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored.” (ASV)
As Jesus entered the synagogue on that Sabbath day, in that crowd that gathered there was a man whose right hand was withered. It was therefore remarkable that this man did not allow his disability to prevent him from being at the synagogue, though he may not have been accepted or welcomed by others there. As people greeted each other, he may have hesitated to do so, shying away because of his infirmity. However, it seemed he was regular and consistent in his attendance at the synagogue with the expectation that God could do the impossible in his life. That day when Jesus walked into the synagogue, it was a most joyful day for the man, for at Jesus’ behest, his hand was healed, and restored like the other.
When it comes to seeking God many believers are not willing to persevere. Our persistence must be like Jacob, who would not let go of God until He blessed him. Our tenacity must be like Zacchaeus who did not let his position, height or the crowd hinder him from climbing on to the fig tree with the only thought of wanting to catch a glimpse of Jesus. If we too pursue the Lord with all our heart, and do so consistently without losing heart, in His time the Lord will certainly intervene, and do the miraculous.
In that same synagogue there was a group of Pharisees and Sadducees, who were well versed with scriptures, and were in a position to teach others, but sadly their only aim was to find fault with Jesus.
It is good for us to search ourselves to know the reason why we seek to worship God, probing within to analyze the kind of attitude that we have towards God, and His people. A good example for this kind of attitude is of someone who gets appointed to a job. They usually enter the workplace with much apprehension. However, as months go by, we may notice that the same person could sometimes become quite casual, and even disrespectful, once they get familiar with their colleagues and their surroundings.
Not only could these religious leaders not help the man with the withered hand, but were quick to find fault with Jesus who brought healing to this man. Jesus knew their evil thoughts, but that did not hinder Him from performing the miracle that He purposed to do for the man with the withered hand.
Our singular goal as believers must be to fix our eyes on Jesus, giving all the honor to Him alone, and run with perseverance the race that He has set for us to complete. There are many people even today who are hung up about various traditions like which day the church should meet, how the communion should be observed, so on and so forth, who are just entangled with outer traditions of men, and have no change of heart whatsoever. Paul says it clearly in Colossians 2:16, “So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.” (NLT)
In Luke 6:10, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand and he did so”. This was a possibility only because there was power in the word of God, to transform what was useless into something beneficial, and to restore any sort of infirmity to wholeness.
The life and ministry of Jesus is a reminder to us as to what God bestowed on Adam when He first created him. When God entrusted Adam with the responsibility to tend the garden, he was invested with the authority by God to do so with just the power of his word.
Those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus are assured in John 14:12, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.” (NLT) On the basis of this word we must desire to be like Jesus, and live the way He lived while here on earth. If we receive the word of God in all its power and authority like the man did, everything that is ineffectual in our life will definitely become productive.
The fig tree withers
We read in Mark 11:12-14, “And on the morrow, when they were come out from Bethany, he hungered. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find anything thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for it was not the season of figs. And he answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit from thee henceforward forever. And his disciples heard it.” (ASV)
In Mark 11:20-21 we read, “And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.” (ASV)
In the above mentioned incidence, Jesus was hungry, and it seemed that while all other fig trees were probably bare, He spotted one fig tree that still had leaves. If the fig tree had leaves, the obvious inference was that it should also have some fruit. That was the reason why Jesus looked for fruit on that tree, in order to satisfy his hunger. But, there were no fruits because it was also not the season for figs. However, Jesus rebuked the tree with these words, ‘No man eat fruit from thee hence forward forever’. This must have sounded strange to the disciples of Jesus, for all along they observed Jesus to be one who set the crooked things straight. At the synagogue He restored the withered hand of a man, but here Jesus did something quite contradictory when He cursed the fig tree.
Though the disciples heard the words of rebuke by Jesus to the fig tree, they did not understand the meaning of it until the next day. On the morrow, they noticed that the fig tree that Jesus cursed had actually withered from its roots. It was only then that Peter recalled the event from the previous day, and pointed out to Jesus that the fig tree that He cursed had indeed withered totally. A withered tree was fit for nothing, but for being used as wood for the fire.
For those of us who are content with church attendance, bible reading and prayer, we are called to search ourselves to see if the Lord can find the fruit that He desires from us. The only thing that the Lord yearns after is that the multitudes of people who do not know Him, should be saved from their sins, freed from the clutches of Satan, so that that they too can fulfill the plan and purpose for which God created every one of them. All of us labor much to have our physical hunger gratified, but we do not care to labor for the thing that would truly satisfy the Lord for eternity.
The power of our words
We studied that blessings and curses are words that are spoken with the authority of God or Satan, which will be actualized if not now, but sometime in the future. The above two incidents are reminders to us that there is power in our words, because we too have been made in the likeness and image of God. Our words can help to build or destroy someone. By our spoken word we can bring life to that which is withered, which we can call blessings. On the other hand, our spoken word can cause to wither that which has life, which we refer to as a curse. That is why we need to be cautious with our words and choose to speak words of life. If we do not keep a tight reign over our words when speaking to our spouse, our children or anything that the Lord had blessed us with, we are in danger of losing out on them. If our lives are not in line with God and His word, speaking the very words of God, we too will become fruitless and of no use to anyone.
In Matthew 7:19-20,“Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (KJV)
The word of God is clear that we can recognize someone by the fruit of the words that proceed from their mouth. Symbolically the fig tree represented the nation of Israel. The Lord’s promise to them was that He would bless those who bless them, and would curse those who cursed them.
This very same people of Israel were so blinded by the law and traditions that they had no mind to believe and receive Jesus as the messiah who was to come. The Pharisees and Sadducees were witnesses of the crowd that shouted ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’ but their minds were busy plotting to get Jesus arrested and killed. They were also the ones who diverted the hearts of those who believed in Jesus, and made them part of the crowd that cried a few days later saying ‘crucify Him’.
We must be cautious about the kind of advice we listen to, for it is probable that the people we heed, are instruments in the hands of the enemy. Just like it happened in the Garden of Eden, when Satan came in a crafty way and deceived Adam and Eve, we too must be aware of his cunning schemes. We must be filled with word of God so we can decipher when God is speaking to us, and when it is the evil one. Often we will be surprised to know that the enemy uses the ones closest to us to lead us astray with their dissuasion. The Spirit of God alone can grant us discernment, to choose godly counsel, and shun that which is from the evil one.
The King of Moab schemed to defeat Israel
The people of Israel moved forward with the blessings of God, which made them extremely strong and numerous. The King of Moab knew that there was no way he could defeat them with physical powers, and therefore opted to use the spiritual realm, to try and destroy them. He calls for the prophet Balaam to try, and accomplish his evil plot.
We read in Numbers 22:6,“They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse." (GNB)
The King of Moab chose Balaam to put a curse on the people of Israel, because he knew that whomsoever Balaam blessed would be blessed, and the ones whom he cursed would certainly be cursed. He was also sure that he could never overthrow the people of Israel with his physical prowess. He therefore thought if Balaam could pronounce a curse on the people of Israel, then perhaps it would be easier for him to destroy them. However, he also knew that he only had a fifty-fifty chance, whereby he could probably accomplish his evil plan.
Many people today are meddling with the spirit world, and using its evil powers to destruct those who have harmed them in any way. Instead of waiting for God to avenge, they are impatient, and take effort to bring to ruin the ones who have wronged them. When we dabble with this kind of evil, we have to be cautious as this can turn out to be detrimental for us, as we are taking a chance like the King of Moab did. So also our prayers should never be for the downfall of others, but always for their welfare and edification.
We read in Numbers 22:8, “Balaam said to them, "Spend the night here, and tomorrow I will report to you whatever the LORD tells me." So the Moabite leaders stayed with Balaam.” (GNB)
When the Moabite leaders came to Balaam with the request to curse the people of Israel, he requested them to spend the night with him, so he could enquire of the Lord as to what the Lord had in His mind. Balaam did the right thing by taking time to pray, seeking counsel from the Lord before he proceeded.
In some places prayers are wrongly used against people of God, ministers of God, and the church of God, by the people of God themselves. We must be cautious to never engage in such prayers, for they are most certainly not in line with the will of God. The plan of God is to see the Kingdom of God to be built up and expand, for this to be achieved the only way is for the people of God, and the church of God to be united in vision and purpose.
We read in Numbers 22:9,“God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these people that are staying with you?"(GNB)
God knew who the leaders were who had come to Balaam, and He also was aware of their evil intention. Anyhow, God asked Balaam the question, "Who are these people that are staying with you?" Instead of perceiving that God knew all about the Moabites leaders who were residing with him, Balaam went to great lengths to explain to God who the people were who stayed with him.
In the event of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when they disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit the Lord was fully aware of it. We read in Genesis 3:9, “But the LORD God called out to the man, "Where are you?" (GNB) and again in Genesis 3:11, "Who told you that you were naked?" Both these questions were posed to Adam, though God knew full well all that transpired between them and Satan. God was asking them these questions only to remind them of the wrong choices they had made, and the arduous situation they had put themselves in.
Whenever God poses a question to us, we must give heed as it is his gentle way of prompting us to understand the predicament we have put ourselves in. It is His way of cautioning us when we are in those wrong places, entangled with those unhealthy relationship, and involved in those things that are displeasing to him. Instead of explaining things away like Balaam, we must discern the voice of God through the promptings of His Holy Spirit, and immediately set right all those things that are not in alignment with His will for our lives.
Many people are erroneously led to believe that because God still speaks to them, that He endorses all of their actions as well. Whenever we go to the presence of the Lord and seek Him in prayer, we must do so with the willingness to totally be submissive to His will. If the Lord says ‘yes’ we must take it as ‘yes’ and if He says ‘no’ we should joyfully accept it, for only then we will enjoy the true blessings of God. We should never seek God’s will with our already preconceived idea as to how our prayers should be answered. This is the reason why so many people end up in troublesome marriages, complicated work situations and the like, simply because they did not submit their requests fully to the lordship and will of God in their lives.
We read in Numbers 22:12,God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."
God’s reply to Balaam was clear-cut. He was instructed to not accompany the leaders of Moab, and not curse the people of Israel, for they are a blessed people.
The Holy Spirit of God is that gentle voice that prompts us to stay in step with the will of God, and its only in obeying Him can we stand firm to the end. If we go against the summons of the Spirit of God we will end up making decisions that are disadvantageous to us. Let us thank God that we have the word of God to guide us, and the Spirit of God to lead us every day of our lives.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
